Feminine hygiene products such as sanitary napkins, pantiliners, and incontinence pads are devices that are typically worn in the crotch region of an undergarment. Interlabial devices are feminine hygiene products that are typically designed to be worn within the interlabial space of a wearer. Other feminine hygiene devices such as tampons are designed to be worn within the vaginal interior. All of these devices are designed to absorb or otherwise contain liquid and other discharges from the human body and to prevent body and clothing soiling. Sanitary napkins are a type of absorbent article worn by women in a pair of panties that is normally positioned between the wearer's legs, adjacent to the perineal area of the body.
Feminine hygiene products having many different basic designs are known in the art. There are some key features of these products, however, which affect the performance of such products. For example, feminine hygiene products such as sanitary napkins vary in their absorbent capacities, their length, the area of undergarment which they cover, their thicknesses, and their inclusion or non-inclusion of certain features such as wings or flaps.
Currently, feminine hygiene products such as sanitary napkins are typically sold in packages containing quantities of ten to fifty products of a single product type. As a result, many consumers buy and use a single type of product for all their menstrual protection needs. This is the case even though the characteristics (e.g. length, area, and features) of a feminine hygiene product necessary to provide containment of bodily fluids without leaking may be quite different between daytime and overnight use. Similarly, the characteristics of a feminine hygiene product necessary to contain bodily fluids without leaking will vary for different groups of consumers based on such factors as body size and menstrual cycle characteristics.
Further complicating the present situation with respect to feminine hygiene products is the fact that the number of different types of products available often makes it confusing for consumers to determine which products would best meet their protection needs. In a recent survey of a typical retail store, 103 different types of feminine hygiene products were on display for sale to consumers. In another recent survey, roughly 70% of consumers reported purchasing the wrong type of sanitary napkin and/or pantiliner at least once within the six month period preceding the survey.
It has been found in developing the present invention, that use by the consumer of a system of feminine hygiene products provides her with superior protection and comfort as compared to the use of a single type of product for all menstrual protection purposes. Nevertheless, the sheer number of options available makes the selection of an appropriate system difficult. Based upon the numbers of different types of products currently available for sale, it is estimated that there are well over 10,000 possible combinations of systems which contain only two different types of feminine hygiene products. When systems including more than two different products are considered, the number increases geometrically.
Ideally, an appropriate system of feminine hygiene products is chosen from two or more available systems where each of such systems is designed for a particular group of consumers. Membership in a particular group is based upon factors such as body size and menstrual cycle characteristics.
It has also been found during the development of the method of the present invention that many women (especially those who do not truly have a heavy flow intensity) are not proficient in accurately describing their flow intensity as compared to other consumers. Most currently available feminine hygiene products describe the differences between the various available products only in terms of a consumer's assessment of her own flow intensity or overall protection needs. It has been found that better product selection of systems of feminine hygiene products can be obtained by the method of the present invention which relies at least in part on indicators of protection needs other than simply perceived flow. Ideally, at least some of these indicators are objective pieces of information which should be readily known to most consumers. In this manner, consumers can be more reliably be provided with appropriate systems of feminine hygiene products without having to guess as to which products will best suit their needs. An ideal method for the selection and use of a system of feminine hygiene products also eliminates the need for consumers to select systems solely on the basis of subjective (and often inaccurate indicators) such as self-perception of flow intensity alone.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for the selection and use of a system of feminine hygiene products.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for the selection of a system of feminine hygiene products from two or more available systems, the selection being based upon information gathered from the consumer regarding at least her body size and preferably certain characteristics related to her menstrual cycle.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method for the selection and use of system of feminine hygiene products which system is adapted for a particular group of consumers and which when used will achieve a reduction in the incidence of soiling as compared to the use of a single type of feminine hygiene product.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a reliable method for the selection and use of an appropriate system of feminine hygiene products in which the information gathered from consumers includes at least some objective pieces of information which are expected to be known by a majority of consumers.
These and other objects of the present invention will become more readily apparent when considered in reference to the following description and when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.